HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF ENGLISH

B.A Thesis Proposal

FACTORS AFFECTING READING

COMPREHENSION SKILLS OF THE SECOND
YEAR STUDENTS AT THE FACULTY OF
ENGLISH - HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY
(CÁC YẾU TỐ ẢNH HƯỞNG ĐẾN KỸ NĂNG ĐỌC
HIỂU CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM HAI TẠI KHOA TIẾNG
ANH, TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC MỞ HÀ NỘI)
CHUC THI TUYET
Date of birth: 10/12/2002
Field: English Language
Supervisor: Dr. …………..
Hanoi - 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents Page number

1. Introduction 1

1.1. Rationale 1

1.2. Aim and objectives 2

1.3. Scope of the study 2

1.4. Research questions 2

1.5. Structure of the study 2

2. Literature Review 3

2.1. Review of previous studies 3

2.2. Review of theoretical framework 4

3. Proposed Research Methodology 6

3.1. Research type 6

3.2. Population and sample 7

3.3. Research methods 7

4. Proposed Chapter Outline 7

References 8

Research schedule 10
CONTENTS
1. Introduction
1.1. Rationale
Reading comprehension is a fundamental skill to obtain further academic learning
success. To get further knowledge, college students are required to have critical
and analytical competence in comprehending academic texts, in searching more
academic information through various types of reading materials such as
textbooks, journals, reports, or electronic messages; however, not all students are
good at comprehending the text being read. Most of them understand the
informational of the text; in other words, they are good in decoding the text but
struggling to comprehend what the underlying meaning and purpose beyond the
text are. In this condition Perfetti (1985) asserts that the reason why some students
struggle is due to the lack of reading comprehension strategies used as parts of
background knowledge.
Reading is a significant skill that learners should know. Learners read texts for
various goals from gaining information to enjoyment. It helps English as a Foreign
Language (EFL) learners to be familiar with the subjects of their majors and
improve their language knowledge.
The purpose of this research is to find out the factors affecting reading
comprehension skills of the second – year students at the Faculty of English (FOE),
Hanoi Open University (HOU). This study is relevant because the findings gave
some important insights into the way reading is being taught currently by English
language teachers at university level. The target group was benefited with some
current tendencies related to reading comprehension skills that were applied by
their teachers. On the other hand, the ability to comprehend tests has a great
relevance as well as the experience the researchers have is of significant help when
trying to figure out the factors affecting of the second – year students‟ reading
comprehension skills at FOE, HOU. Therefore, the topic” Factors affecting reading
comprehension skills of the second – year students at FOE - HOU” was chosen.

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1.2. Aim and objectives
The study aims to help second - year students at the Faculty of English, Hanoi
Open University improve their reading comprehension skills.
The research objectives of the study are as follows:
+ To identify the factors that cause difficulties in studying reading
comprehension skills of the second-year students at the Faculty of English -
Hanoi Open University.
+ To propose some solutions to improve the reading comprehension skills
of the second-year students at the Faculty of English - Hanoi Open
University.
1.3. Scope of the study
Academic scope: English reading comprehension skills
Social scope: the second-year students at the Faculty of English, Hanoi Open
University.
1.4. Research questions: The study addresses these following questions
1. What are the factors that cause difficulties in studying reading comprehension
skills of the second -year students at the Faculty of English - Hanoi Open
University?
2. What are some solutions to improve the reading comprehension skills of the
second-year students at the Faculty of English - Hanoi Open University?
1.5. Structure of the study
This study is divided into 5 chapters
Chapter 1. Introduction introduces the rationale for choosing the field for
studying, the aim and objectives, the scope of the study, the research questions,
research methods and the organization of the study.
Chapter 2. Literature review discusses the previous studies about factors
affecting reading comprehension skills and presents some theoretical framework
that could be used as foundation for the process of conducting the research.
Chapter 3. Methodology presents Research approaches, population, sample, and
research methods.
Chapter 4. Findings and Discussion focuses on the difficulties and solutions of

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 reading comprehension skills.
Chapter 5. Conclusion summarizes the main points of the study, the major
findings of the investigation, concluding remarks, limitations, and
recommendations for further study.
2. Literature review
The study consists of two parts. The first section reviews the previous studies on
reading comprehension skills. The second one reviews the definitions of reading
comprehension skills and factors affecting reading comprehension skills.
2.1. An overview of previous studies
In Ahmed (2016), reading comprehension is an essential skill to handle the demands
of the 21st century and it is the most important skill of the four skills in English as a
foreign language.
According to Koda (2007), there are some factors that impact learners‟ reading
comprehension. Some of these are vocabulary knowledge, prior knowledge. This
non-visual information, or what the brain imposes upon the eye, has generally been
known as background knowledge, plays a major role. Similarly, Anderson and
Freebody (1981) „background knowledge is crucial for reading comprehension. ‟
According to Nergis (2013) stated that deepness of vocabulary knowledge, syntactic
consciousness, are some of the important factors that can affect reading
comprehension skills. Hamra and Syatriana (2010) contend that poor reading
comprehension learners occurs due to students’ lack of vocabulary. Cahyono and
Widiati (2006) conclude that poor prior knowledge also contributes to the low level
of reading comprehension.
According to Ismail & Basuki (2017), if students lack prior knowledge in reading a
text, they cannot understand it because they do not know what the text is about. In
addition, cultural differences affect reading comprehension. An unfamiliar cultural
context and content knowledge of culture and knowledge of vocabulary cause
problems in reading because the students do not clearly understand the other culture.
The next problem is limited vocabulary. Students will have great difficulty in
understanding the text as a whole because of lacking vocabulary. The final problem
is complex and very long sentences. According to Chawwang (2008) complex
sentences are sentences that contain many clauses or reduced clauses and abstract
concepts. So, longer sentences will be more difficult to understand than shorter

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sentences.
However, Trehearne and Doctorow (2005) expressed that there are other factors that
affect learners‟ reading comprehension skills. These factors are learners‟ reading
attitudes. students‟ attitudes towards reading are the leading factor that directly
affects their reading.
In the light of this, it should be said that reading competence is a complex skill that
needs to be developed by practice. Teachers should provide their learners with
opportunities to reflect on their reading processes and practices. The role of the
teacher is very important, as the teacher not only guides the students through the
process of reading comprehension, but also motivates them and puts them in control
of their learning.
2.2. Theoretical framework
2.2.1. Definition of Reading Comprehension skills
Pressley (2000) and Birsch (2011) defined reading comprehension as the ability to
get meaning from what is read. Reading comprehension needs different reading
skills such as word recognition, fluency, lexical knowledge, and preexisting
knowledge to be undertaken quickly so that the reader gets knowledge from text.
Similarly, Grabe & Stoller (2002) defines reading comprehension as reading
comprehension problems in text.
On the other hand, Tompkins (2011) defined reading comprehension as the level of
comprehending a text. This comprehension arises from the interplay between the
written words and how they elicit knowledge outside the message. On the other
hand, Kintsch (1998) defined reading comprehension as the process of creating
meaning from text. The purpose is to get an understanding of the text rather than to
acquire meaning from individual words or sentences. In addition, understanding of
reading is an ability to understand meaning, and integrate with what the reader
already knows.
Duke (2003) stated that comprehension is a process in which readers make meaning
by interacting with text through the combination of prior knowledge and previous
experience, information in the text, and the views of readers related to the text.
Therefore, reading comprehension is the ability to understand information in a text
and interpret it appropriately.
2.2.2. Factors affecting Reading Comprehension skills

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According to Dennis (2008), reading comprehension is a complex process between
identifying printed symbols and interpreting the meaning behind the symbols. Some
factors affect reading comprehension skills. They are complexity of the reading the
text, lack of vocabulary, environmental influences, anxiety during reading
comprehension, interest and motivation, decoding or word recognition speed, and
medical problems. In the following section, these factors are elaborated in detail.
2.2.2.1. The complexity of the texts
One of the factors that impacts learners‟ reading comprehension is the complexity
of the texts. This factor is influenced by the readers‟ strength and fluency in
language and their comprehension of its applications and different meanings. Oral
abilities have a significant part in identifying how skilled a reader can be because
learners hear words and obtain a lot of vocabulary. A lot of vocabulary assist
learners in explaining the unknown words through applying the opinions of context
(Dennis, 2008).
2.2.2.2 Lack of vocabulary
A lack of vocabulary can be an explanation for a failure in developing effective
reading capabilities. The problem involves difficulties with words. These difficulties
include problems with technical vocabulary, super ordinates, synonyms, antonyms,
and words with several meanings. Students will have difficulties in understanding
the text because they lack vocabulary. To be successful, they have to recognize a
high proportion of the vocabulary.
2.2.2.3 The environmental condition
The third factor related to the environmental condition that impact the learners who
try to read a passage. Readers may have a lot of problems to understand a text an
unorganized environment than those who read in a calm and controlled place. If
learners are in an unsafe place, they find it difficult to focus on their reading. When
they are in safe environments, their reading comprehension ability will better.
Readers will lose their concentration in understanding a text when there are noises
like televisions or radios (Dennis, 2008)
2.2.2.4 The anxiety during reading comprehension
This factor is pertinent to the anxiety during reading comprehension. Examinations,
class work, or homework situations can put more pressure on readers’ reading than
reading for enjoyment. Some learners react positively to examinations while others

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are overwhelmed by the pressure to carry out a reading activity. Learners who
experience this anxiety may not completely understand the instructions and this may
lead to confusion and poor comprehension of the reading task.
2.2.2.5 Interest and motivation
According to Dennis (2008), learners‟ interest and motivation are very important in
developing reading comprehension skills. If readers find the reading material
monotonous, they will have a lot of problems in concentrating on their
comprehension. This can lead to a lowering of reading comprehension among
readers. If the reading material is interesting for learners, they can easily understand
it and can remember it clearly. EFL teachers should motivate their learners through
providing interesting reading materials during their class time.
2.2.2.6 Decoding or word recognition speed
Readers who have problems in decoding and recognizing words read slowly and
find it more difficult to understand the meaning of passages than those without
decoding problems. She expressed that vocabulary influences the reading
comprehension skills because readers apply decoding skills to understand the
pronunciation and meaning of words they have not seen before. Persons who have
enough vocabulary can clarify the meaning or reading passages faster than those
who should guess the meaning of unfamiliar words according to the clues of context
(Dennis, 2008).
2.2.2.7 The medical problems
According to Hollowell (2013), poor reading comprehension skills may relate to the
medical difficulty that does not get addressed until the child is older. This involves
undiagnosed ADD (attention deficit disorder), speech problems, and hearing
impairments. She emphasized that learners with speech and hearing difficulties are
less likely to take part in oral reading and class discussions. These are two activities
that help learners improve their reading comprehension skills.
Based on previous studies, the researcher finds that there are problems which most
students face, especially the case of the second-year students at FOE, HOU.
Therefore, the researcher conducts research with the title “Factors affecting reading
comprehension skills of the second – year students at FOE- HOU” to suggest some
effective solutions which help students to overcome problems when learning
reading comprehension skills.

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3. Proposed Research Methodology
3.1. Research approaches
To reach the goal of the study, the writer used two main research approaches. They
were quantitative and qualitative approaches. By virtue of the quantitative method,
the data were collected for the study including problems and solutions of reading
comprehension skills. The qualitative method was applied to describe and analyze
the data of the study.
3.2. Population and Sample
The study investigated factors affecting reading comprehension skills. The research
based on a survey of the second – year students at FOE, HOU in the academic year
2021-2022, with 100 students chosen at random to participate.
3.3. Research methods
To achieve the aim and objectives, the researcher used quantitative methods and
qualitative methods. The quantitative approach was applied to investigate the factors
made by the second-year students of FOE, HOU when learning English reading
skills. Besides, the qualitative approach was used to describe and analyze the causes
of factors reading comprehension made by the second-year students of FOE, HOU
when learning English reading skills. The survey questionnaire consisted of 7
multiple – choice questions and 5 questions with 5 ranking scale responses. The
researcher used the recordings of 50 previous reading comprehension tests to collect
data about factors that cause difficulties in studying reading comprehension skills
and interviews was conducted.
4. Proposed chapter outline
Chapter 1. Introduction
1.1. Rationale
1.2. Aim and objectives
1.3. Scope of the study
1.4. Research questions
1.5. Structure of the study

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Chapter 2. Literature review
2.1. An overview of previous studies
2.2. Theoretical framework
Chapter 3. Methodology
3.1. Research type
3.2. Population and sample
3.3. Research methods
Chapter 4. Findings and Discussion
4.1. Findings
4.1.1 Difficulties of students when studying reading comprehension skills
4.1.2. The results of the survey on factors affecting reading comprehension skills
4.2. Discussion
4.2.1. Evaluation of the results
4.2.2. Recommendations for improving reading comprehension skills
4.2.3. Limitations of the study
Chapter 5. Conclusion

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 References
Ahmed, Z. A. A. (2016). The Effect of Motivation on Developing EFL Learners
„Reading Comprehension Skills. International Journal of English Language
Teaching, 4(10), 1-9.
Anderson, R. C., & Freebody, P. (1981). Vocabulary knowledge. In 1. T. Guthrie
(Ed.), Comprehension and teaching: Research reviews (pp. 77-117). Newark. DE:
International Reading Association.
Birsh, J. R. (2005). Multisensory teaching of basic language skills. Brookes
Publishing Company. PO Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285.
Cahyono, B. Y., & Widiati, U. (2006). The teaching of EFL reading in the
Indonesian context: The state of the art. Teflin Journal, 17(1), 36-58.
Chawwang, N. (2008). An investigation of English reading problems of Thai 12th
Grade Students in Nakhonratchasima Educational Regions 1, 2, 3 and 7.
Unpublished master’s thesis, Graduate School, Srinakharinwirot University.
Dennis, D. V. (2008). Are assessment data really driving middle school reading
instruction? What we can learn from one student's experience. Journal of
Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 51(7), 578-587.
Duke, N. (2003). Comprehension instruction for informational text. In Presentation
at the annual meeting of the Michigan Reading Association, Grand Rapids, MI.
Grabe, W., & Stoller, F. L. (2011). Teaching and Researching Reading, Great Britain.
Hamra, A., & Syatriana, E. (2015). Developing a model of teaching reading
comprehension for EFL students. TEFLIN journal, 21(1), 27-40.
Hollowell, K. (2013). Factors Affecting Poor Reading Comprehension Skills. e How
Contributor. Online magazine.
Ismail, H., Syahruzah, J. K., & Basuki, B. (2017). Improving the students ‟reading
skill through translation method. Journal of English Education, 2(2), 124-131.
Kintsch, W., & Walter Kintsch, C. B. E. M. A. F. R. S. (1998). Comprehension: A

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 paradigm for cognition. Cambridge university press.
Koda, K. (2007). Reading and language learning: Crosslinguistic constraints on
second language reading development. Language learning.
Nergis, A. (2013). Exploring the factors that affect reading comprehension of EAP
learners. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 12(1), 1-9.
Perfetti, C. A. (1985). Verbal efficiency theory. Reading Ability, 99-122.
Pressley, M. (2001). Comprehension Instruction: What Makes Sense Now, What
Might Make Sense Soon. Reading online, 5(2), n2.
Tompkins, G. E. (2011). Literacy in the early grades: A successful start for perk 4
readers. Boston, Pearson. p, 203(5), 163-4.
Trehearne, M. P., & Doctorow, R. (2005). Reading comprehension: strategies that
work. Comprehensive Literacy Resource: Grade 3-6 (Chapter 2).
Research schedule

Research phase Objectives Deadline

1. Background ● Meet with supervisor for initial 20th

research and literature discussion February
review ● Conduct a more extensive review
of relevant literature
● Refine the research questions ●
Develop a theoretical framework

2. Research design ξ Design questionnaires 13th

planning ξ Identify online and offline March
channels for recruiting participants ξ
Finalize sampling methods and data
analysis methods

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3. Data collection and ● Recruit participants and send out 24th April
preparation questionnaires
● Conduct semi-structured
interviews with selected participants
● Transcribe and code interviews
and clean survey data

4. Data analysis ● Statistically analyze survey data ● 22nd May

Conduct thematic analysis of
interview transcripts
● Draft the results and discussion
chapters

5. Writing ● Complete a full thesis draft ● 17th July

Meet with supervisor to discuss
feedback and revisions

6. Revision ● Redraft based on feedback ● Get 28th

supervisor approval for final draft August
● Proofread
● Print, bind and submit

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